His Princess, Her Alchemist
by KittyThomas
Summary: Al travels to Xing to learn Alkahestry and reunites with Ling, Lan Fan... and May. But Alkahestry isn't the only thing he's learning about... standing pairings will feature. Fills the gaps in the epilogue! R&R, lovely people. :D
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I was going to include this in "missed memories" but I figured it's more of a sequel, and will be a few chapters long... not just a moment!**

**Backstory note- in my mind, Ling returns home to give the philosopher's stone to the Emperor, only to discover he's either died in his absence, or that quest it was merely a test. It might be a little lame, but I don't want anyone to use the stone :S. Either way, Ling becomes emperor in those first 2 years. **

**Also, I'm not sure how old May is. I'm not sure it's ever mentioned. I'm going to say 13... back in the travelling days, anyway. Which makes her about fifteen now. **

Princess of Xing

It had been two years since Alphonse Elric had seen any of his Xingese friends. They had a hurried farewell mere moments after he'd got his body back, and that was the last he'd seen of them. He remembered May in particular, being carried away under Ling's arm, waving goodbye and saying, "We'll see each other again some day!" not knowing if they would or not.

They'd written, many times over the years when they could, but a letter could only contain so much. Al smiled at his thoughts; that was one of the reasons Ed had hardly ever written to Winry on their travels, he couldn't find the right things to say.

It wasn't quite like that with him and May, but their letters were often quite formal, for reasons that neither could quite fathom. He guessed because they'd been so busy trying to save the world, they'd never really been able to have a casual conversion, a normal relationship of any kind- not yet anyway.

He had to admit, he was looking forward to seeing her again.

The carriage came to a slow stop and a footman hurried out to open the door. Al stepped out onto a red carpet in front of magnificent, towering palace, unlike anything he'd ever seen before in any of his travels. Al was still standing dumbfounded, gazing at the rich colours and the gleaming gold towers, when a masked figure dressed in black materialised by his side.

"A pleasant journey had, Master Alphonse?"

"W-whoa!" Al spun around in a daze. "Wait- Lan Fan? Is that you?"

A metal hand moved to pull away the mask away and revealed a smiling face. "It is good to see you, Alphonse."

"It's good to see you too. How have you been?"

"Busy. Yourself?"

"Actually, not that busy," Al rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. He mostly spent the past two years getting used to being human again, re-learning how to fight and sitting around the house wondering what he was going to do next.

"I daresay a rest was reserved."

"I didn't expect you to come and meet me."

"His majesty's orders. You're his guest of honour, you know."

Alphonse grinned, trying not to laugh at the idea of Ling being a Emperor. By all reports, he was a very good monarch, but it was still strange to think of that greedy layabout ruling a country.

"I'll take you to him. Somebody else will bring your bags up."

Al nodded, and followed her lead as she led him up the steps of the palace. Everywhere they went, armed guards and ceremonial officials bowed and stood to attention.

"I never knew bodyguards were so respected."

"They're not doing this for me, Master Alphonse," smiled Lan Fan. "This is all for you."

"F-for me? B-but why? I haven't done anything-"

"The feats of the Elric brothers are legendary in this parts. People can't get enough of the stories."

"Stories?"

"Of the things you did during your travels."

"But how do they know-"

"Oh, his majesty does enjoy telling a good tale. He wanted everyone to know how he won the throne. May might have helped embellished the stories somewhat."

"She did, did she?" Alphonse felt himself blushing. After two years, it still wasn't a feeling he'd quite grown used to- but he loved it all the same. "And how is she?"

"Well, so I hear. She's with her clan at the moment."

"Oh." Al tried not too sound disappointed.

"She'll be back soon, though. She wanted to be back for your arrival but ran into some delays... Come along, his majesty's waiting."

Two huge gold doors swung open in front of them and Al found himself in a vast, open hall, adorned with rich carpets, tapestries and various statues. At the top of the room was a massive throne, on top of which sat a very bored-looking Ling in exquisite silk robes. He straightened up the second the doors opened, but Al managed to detect a slight relaxation of the shoulders, a hidden smile, the second he realised who he was.

"Welcome to Xing, Master Alphonse," he said dramatically, rising from his throne. He gestured towards the guards. "You may leave us now."

Al looked around uncomfortably as they filed away, not sure of what to do. "Um, the pleasure is mine, your-"

"Alphonse!"

With unrestrained childish glee, Ling leapt off his throne and threw himself at his old friend, suddenly no more a king than Alphonse was. "It's so good to see you again! All fleshy and human-looking! Winry feed you up? I'm sure she did!"

"It's good to see you again too, Ling."

"Oh, you've no idea how boring being Emperor is! All the ceremonies and the bowing and the advising and nodding... how many times a day must I just sit, _nodding _at everyone!"

"A fair few, your majesty."

"Lan! Oh Lan-Fan-Lany! We're among friends now! Enough with the 'your majesties'!"

"Oh, yes... Ling." The word hung uncertainly on her lips.

Ling put his arms around the two of them and marched towards one the doors to the side of the room. "Come! Let's show Alphonse his room and catch up on old times!"

.o0o.

As Al grew used to life in the palace, the same restlessness that had plagued him back home began to settle in. He got up, had breakfast, spent his mornings in the library, took lunch, went for a walk, met various officials, had dinner with Ling, and then retired to his chamber for the rest of the evening. There were very few variables in his day and there was only so much he could learn from books without a proper teacher.

Things had begun to feel so normal, that it came as a great shock to him to wake one morning to the sound of loud voices in the hallway.

"Please Princess, you must be announced! Master Alphonse may not yet be-"

"Then go in and find out-!"

"Surely you wish to er, compose yourself first?"

"W-what's wrong with how I look? Is my dress not-"

By this time, Al had recognised the voices. One belonged to Rin, one of the oldest royal maids. The other- well, the other was like music to his ears. He got out of bed, pulled on a robe, and went to throw open the door.

"May! May?"

The girl standing across the threshold was not the child he remembered, she stood instead on the brink of womanhood, a lovely young girl in a pink silk dress with unbound jet black hair. Shorter than him by about a head, she was nevertheless still quite small, but she had grown a lot in the past two years, developing slight curves and womanly figure. Her face was different, thinner somehow, as if she'd grown into her features. Alphonse wondered why he hadn't seen it before; May had always seemed cute to him, adorable even, but there was no doubt about it now- May was beautiful.

She stared back at him with the same wide, disbelieving eyes, as if she genuinely didn't recognise him. It seemed to be a long while before she finally spoke.

"A-Al?" her brows knitted together in confusion, then melted away. Her hands dropped from her mouth and she flew at him forcefully, her arms flying around his neck gleefully. "Alphonse!"

He remembered her hugging him just after he'd got his body back. He'd been a brittle, skeletal thing then. It was different now, now that he had strong arms to hold her with, now that he could hold her back. A rush of new sensations filled him; she smelt of strawberries and vanilla, and her skin was soft against his cheek. Al couldn't remember hugging a girl other than Winry, or Pinako or his mother- women that he was related to in one way or another.

He liked it more this way.

Eventually, he lowered the her back onto her feet. Rin had long since hurried away, muttering something about the rashness of youth under her breath.

"It's... it's good to see you again May. You look... um, grown-up!"

_OK, that was lame. And you think brother can't talk to girls..._

"You too!" May smiled. "I mean... um... since the last time I saw you, you were, um.. not so muscled..." May suddenly realised that her hands were still resting, very firmly, on Alphonse's chest, which was deceptively tight beneath the fabric of his robe. She hurriedly pulled them away, placed them down at her sides.

"Oh! Um! Yeah, so-"

"Um, yeah." Al's cheeks were reddening as he rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Do you want to... have breakfast? I haven't eaten yet."

"Oh! Yes! Breakfast! Breakfast would be good!"

**A/N: I like this couple! I like this couple A LOT... what's weird is I like them more writing about them. They were cute in the anime/manga, but it could be seen as just a one-sided crush on May's front... but it really isn't. Sure, one could argue that May just projects a crush onto Al based on what she thinks he looks like, but that doesn't stop the fact that she genuinely cares for him despite his appearance. She's the first person ever to hug him in his armoured body! That has to mean something. Not to mention the fact that he risks his life to save her, and she is the first person to hug him once he gets his body back, and really doesn't care how he looks then either. It's true love, my friends, true love.**

**It's short, but please review! More will come sooner...**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: This is very short, and I apologise... but I don't like keeping people waiting when it's flowing and it reached a natural break. Haven't much to say about it!**

**Chapter 2**

The rest of the day passed like rain after a drought; the palace that had once seemed dull and empty now seemed vibrant, full of life and colour. Ling demanded that a feast be prepared to honour May's return, and he wasn't the only one who seemed pleased about her arrival- all the servants and the courtiers were delighted to have her back.

"It may seem strange to you, Master Alphonse," commented Advisor Chin after his third glass of wine. "But we _do _enjoy a woman's presence. What with the little princesses and the consorts all living elsewhere, it gets a little bit... _lonely _sometimes, with just us _men_. We haven't had women around for a _long _while."

Alphonse, biting down the urge to say, "I can tell" said instead, "What about Lan Fan?"

"Oh, she's a women, I suppose, but she never takes that mask off and she isn't exactly ladylike. Not like Little Princess May! A real woman, you know?"

"Yeah," said Alphonse, looking across the room at May, and catching her gaze briefly. "I know."

The day was so busy, that it wasn't until after the banquet that the two of them found themselves alone. May had been swamped with attention from the moment she arrived and she found it exhausting. Al found her and Xiao Mei sprawled out on a chaise in the library just after the last guest had left, both looking thoroughly warn out. Al smiled at the pair of them and pulled up a chair. At the sound of movement, Xiao Mei opened her eyes and scurried across the floor to settle herself in his lap. May looked up, her mouth curving.

"I forgot how much she liked you."

Al, unable to suppress a smirk, stroked the tiny panda and replied that he really liked her, too. "They really seem to like you here," he added.

May smiled tiredly. "I know. They're all so nice- and I like them, too! You know, I was so worried, the first time Ling invited us to the palace, that we'd be despised for being part of a losing clan, but it wasn't like that at all."

Tradition ruled that once a Emperor ascended to the throne, his clan moved into the royal city and served as advisers, ministers and various officials, taking over the jobs that had previously belonged to the previous Emperor's original clan. Ling had broken this tradition when he'd been crowned, allowing several officials to retain their old jobs and only moving select clan-members into the city. There had been complaints, of course, but there had also been a lot of support.

"Ling wants to break the boundaries between the clans, doesn't he?"

"Ya-huh, guess that's why I'm here most of the time."

"They even call you a Princess."

"Well, I am the Emperor's 'little sister'." May pulled a slight face at her own words. She'd mentioned in her letters before now how Ling had suddenly shifted from being her rival to her acting like a rather over-the-top big brother the moment they'd hit the road back to Xing. She said she found it annoying, but Al could tell she secretly rather liked it.

"You like it here, don't you May?"

"Hmm," she murmured sleepily, looking across at him. "I like it more now... I mean, um, oh. Now that... now that... I have something to do!"

"Something... other than representing your clan?"

"Yes! Something more... constructive! Um, rewarding! Teaching you Alkahestry!"

There was a part of Al that had genuinely forgotten his reason for being there, it hadn't even crossed his mind until that moment. "O-of course!" he laughed sleepishly. "I almost forgot! When do we start?"

"Tomorrow morning, bright and early!"

"Sounds like a plan. I suppose... I suppose I better be off to bed then. Do you need any help getting up?"

It was at this point that May turned as pink as her dress. "N-no, I'll be f-fine! I want to sit here a bit longer... this is my favourite room, you know."

"Really? Mine too."

A paused stretched out between the two of them, expanding to fill the room. Alphonse stood awkwardly, looking down at May, while she stared back. Both of them were smiling, both unsure what to say next.

"Well, um, goodnight May! I'll see you in the morning."

"Yes. Goodnight, Alphonse."

"Yeah, 'night." Al had made it as far as the door before he turned back, briefly, looking towards her calm silhouette. "It... it really is good to see you, May."

He slipped away before she had the chance to reply, heading back towards his room.

Smiling serenely, and still with a blush on her cheeks, May held Xiao Mei closer to her chest and whispered, sleepily, under her breath,

"It's good to see you too... knight in shining armour."

**A/N: Short but... sweet? More coming soon! In the meantime... review? Al will give you a smile! (I love Al's smiles... he like, smiles all the time no**w, in my mind) :D


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello again folks! Haven't forgotten about this, no worries! Been watching/reading A LOT of FMA of late, trying to get into character etc, keep things real... drawback is that I've been inspired to write about FIVE fanfics now and I'm trying to concentrate on this one for now.**

**Been watching a few of the old anime episodes too- probably a bad thing, I know, but they bring me back. It seems a bit less funny than the manga, more serious, and I ended up watching "Mother", where Al narrates how they came to loose their bodies. It's so cute, and so sad. I actually cried. Why why why did all this happen to them? They only wanted their mummy back... (sniff, sniff). I love how protective they are of each other, particularly Ed over Al... ("Brother, am I scary?" "Please, you're kindness in a can.") Moments like these make me understand why my little sister wants a big brother instead...**

**Anyway, enough brotherly-cuteness. Al x May!**

**Chapter 3**

When May had said bright and early, she had really meant it. She arrived in his room at the crack of dawn, brandishing a tray of food, and demanding he be up and ready within twenty minutes, ready to start their first lesson in the library. Having grown up with Winry, it wasn't the first time a girl had woken him up by shaking, but there was something distinctly different about waking up to May's face leaning over him.

Not wanting to let her down, Al had dressed hurriedly, crammed down his breakfast, and reached the library before fifteen minutes had passed.

"Wow, you're punctual," May giggled, looking up at him from a table piled high with books. "I didn't expect you to be so early."

"You said... twenty... minutes."

"It was only a guideline. Wow, you really hurried here- what did you think I was going to do if you were late?"

Alphonse's mind jumped back into the past and he felt a dark cloud move over head. He could see Izumi's threatening silhouette in the back of his head.

_I must remember... not to judge other people... by Teacher._

"Alphonse? You look... scared."

"Sorry... just thinking of my old teacher. She was... strict, to say the least."

"You're out of breath."

"Yeah," Alphonse rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I'm out of practice. Been a long time since I sparred."

"Oh, really?" There was a mischievous glint in May's eyes. Without another word, she closed the dusty tome in front of her and marched towards the door. "Come on!"  
"W-where are we going?"

"To train the mind, we must first train the body!"

"Oh geez," Al murmured under his breath. "This is sounding awfully familiar..."

May laid him towards the palace gardens that backed onto the Xingese mountain range. They were positively stunning, and turned out to be another one of their shared favourite places. Despite the warm climate, the gardens were lush and green, manicured, yet retaining a certain sense wildness in the placement of exotic plants and flowers. There were statues and water features everywhere, pools of water tricking from the rock. The air was light and sweet with a faint trace of honey. Birds and butterflies fluttered in the still morning breeze, catching the sunlight on their wings as they flew. Two swans sat serenely on the feature pond, bending their necks together, as a family of ducks bobbed about for fish.

Although he knew it was carefully designed, Al couldn't help but bask in the glory and beauty of nature.

"Right!" said May enthusiastically, shredding off her outer robe. "Take off your shoes!"

"My... shoes?"

"Yup! We're going to teach you about Chi."

"I fought we were going to train my-"

"This first! It's more important! Now... take off your shoes."

"Oh, OK..." Al hastily complied. The grass was still wet with morning dew. "What does this have to do with Alkahestry?"

"Alkahestry draws its power from the flow of Chi- the life energy that courses through every living thing. In order to use it, you must first understand it... be able to feel it flowing through you, the earth, the world... everything."

Al was familiar with the theories of Alkahestry from his reading, but he let her carry on. He liked the sound of her voice, the way she spoke as if she were still, to this day, awed by the magic of the art. It was safe to say he'd often taken it for granted.

"What is it?" May caught him looking at her.

"Oh, n-nothing!"

"All right then! Let's begin! Close your eyes, Al. Try to feel the rhythm of the planet beneath your feet..."

May had tried to, very briefly, teach Alphonse Alkahestry before, when they were up North near the Briggs Mountain Range. It had been a bit of a wasted lesson, as Al had been unable to feel the "pulse" she was rambling on about and didn't know any of the theory. But now, whether it was the setting, or the knowledge he'd adsorbed in his reading, or perhaps merely the extra two years, Al couldn't _help _but feel it the minute he tried.

It was like she had said- a pulse, a tiny, soft heartbeat thumping from the very depths of the ground.

"Do you feel it?"

"Yes... yes I do!"

"Good. Now, expand that. Try to feel the other forms of life around you, the roots of the trees, the tips of the leaves... everything is connected. The birds, the flowers, the mountains, the earth, us..."

"Us?" Al found his focus dropping.

"Yes... each and every person is connected by the flow of the Dragon's Pulse."

"Oh... yeah. Of course. I knew that!"

"What did you think I meant?"

"Nothing! Never mind!"

"Concentrate, Alphonse."

"Yeah, of course!"

Behind close eyelids, both of them began to smile.

They spent the better part of that first hour meditating, teaching Alphonse to feel the flow of the world. May herself had never really had to learn how to feel it, it was just something she'd grown up, a sixth sense, and so it was difficult for her to comprehend why he couldn't. Then again, he had grown up in Amestris, which had a very different and unpleasant flow altogether. She was patient with him however, teaching him as clearly as she could.

By the end of that hour, Al still couldn't feel the connection to everything, the constant flow, but he had definitely improved. He felt like he could feel everything within the garden, although he was disappointed he hadn't made more progress. May assured him it was all right, and started to quiz him on the theory, a part he was infinitely better at.

"Well, I've spent a long time reading up about it..." he said, trying to shrug off her praise. "I'd be ashamed if I hadn't remembered a little bit of it!"

"You're really good, Alphonse! I never learnt so much in such a short space of time!"

"Well, you didn't have such a good teacher..."

May blushed, and suggested the two of them break for lunch. That afternoon, Al tried his first circle. He drew it in the old-fashioned way, marking it out of the ground, not wanting to attempt to try it by clapping his hands. Partly because he wanted to do everything by the book and not cut corners, but partly because he was worried it might not work and he didn't want to look like a fool in front of May.

By the time the sun had set, he had successfully managed to heal a butterfly they'd caught with a damaged wing. It was small, it was insignificant, but it was start. Al took a strange pride and pleasure in seeing the creature flutter away, good as new.

"It's what Alchemy should always be about... for the people, for the world. The good of others. Fixing things, making things better-"

May smiled silently at Alphonse, warmed by the look in his eyes whenever he starting talking so enthusiastically about helping others.

"You're a true hero, you know that?"  
"W-what, me? Nah, I'm not like that-"

"Oh, but you are!" she clapped her hands together indignantly, "If only you would see it... you're the best kind of hero there is, Alphonse Elric!"

Then she scuttled away, as if she was embarrassed by her words, and called over her shoulder that she would see him tomorrow.

Al sighed, blew his bangs out of his face, and remained a little while longer in the gardens, pondering over May's words. A hero, him? He'd never thought of himself as such... although he supposed he had helped save the world- but so had she, and countless, countless others. Alphonse was determined never to forget that although only a few people had been there fighting father, hundreds of others had been involved that day, several had lost their lives, many just fighting to protect their homes and loved ones. He'd always found that far more heroic. His decision to fight... his and Ed's, was because they were more or less dragged into it. They didn't have a choice. What else could they do? Run away to another country and hide until it was all over?

No, neither Al, nor his brother, were ones to run away. But they didn't deserve to be called heroes for that.

Al sighed again; he was probably over-thinking things. He collected his coat and his shoes and headed back to his room, determined to write to his brother and tell him all about his first brush with Alkahestry.

.o0o.

**A/N: I hate this chapter, I hate this chapter SO much, words cannot explain it. I guess because it's more just a necessary "Al-starts-learning-Alkahestry" filler than anything else. I hated writing it. I struggled through... for you, dear readers, so please review!**

**Bad rhyming aside, do let me know what you think. We're going to have a slight change of pace after this chapter I think, less learning, more fluffiness. And more Ling, because I like him! Any Ling/Lan Fan, anyone? I have an idea for a side story for them that will vaguely (very vaguely...) resemble something like a plot... political, but plotty. **

**I suck today.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: And so, Chapter 4! Haven't got much to say about this, to be honest... hoping something will happen soon.**

**Oh, and there's going to be a companion piece (with a brief crossover) before separating again and then possibly coming back together... it focuses on what Ed and Winry are doing while Al and May flirt away here. Their relationship is a little different from these two, to say the least. :P **

**Chapter Four**

_Dear Brother,_

_Alkahestry is proving to be an interesting challenge here in Xing. May's finally arrived, so my lessons have officially begun. It's so strange that something can be so close to Alchemy and yet so different at the same time. Although it follows the same principle and achieves similar results, the theories are completely separate, as are the methods of learning. We spending a lot of time mediating, feeling "the Dragon's Pulse." It seems almost more an art than a science. _

_In other news, Ling and Lan Fan remain the same as ever. The only exception being that Ling doesn't need to mooch food off anyone any more. May has changed a lot in the past two years- she's grown up. You'd barely even recognise her any more! Ling is busy with a lot of political duties so I haven't seen much of him or Lan Fan, who naturally follows him wherever he goes. I spend most of my time -both free and otherwise- with May and Xiao Mei. The weather is unbelievable here, and Xing is a beautiful country._

_There's little more to report here for the time being. It seems a waste to send such a short letter so I might keep with me a little longer, add to it later. _

_Until something happens,_

_Alphonse_

As if on cue, May burst through the doors and skipped over to his desk. To begin with, she had knocked politely on every door she came to, but now (within the short space of a week) she tended to just barge on in. Alphonse, if he was being honest, actually quite liked it. It just proved how comfortable she was with him, how quickly they'd eased into a close friendship.

"Writing to Edward?"

"Yeah, we haven't been keeping as up-to-date with each other as we should be- but then not a lot has happened."

"Maybe you should write to Winry as well. She'll be mad if she finds out the two of you have been writing to each other when you never wrote to her!"

"I'm sure Brother has that covered."

"This is Edward we're talking about, right?"

"...You're right. I better remind him."

He reached out to dip his quill the ink but did so too quickly; his hand caught the edge of the pot and split instantly, the ink running all over the desk and his half-finished letter.

"Oh, shoot!"

"It's OK," May said calmly, moving across him and sticking a single finger in the ink. She drew it out to a clearer patch in the wood and daubed a quick circle. There was a flash of blue light as the ink separated, drawing away from the page and back into pot. Alphonse's letter remained unchanged.

"That... that was amazing! How did you do that?"

"Um, with Alkahestry...?"

"Yeah, but I've never seen anything use like that before... you reversed the damage completely. It moved back into the pot! And didn't even take the ink off the paper!"

"It's all part of the same thing, the flow of chi. Everything has a place, and it leaves an impression even when it's not there any more. Like how the brain still sends signals to missing limbs. When Alkahestry is used for healing, it does so by remembering the original, unbroken pattern of skin. What I just did was the same thing, if you think about it. I returned something to its proper place."

"Hmm..."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"Nothing, just something you said. 'Returning things to their proper place'. It that's the case, why can't Alchemists re-grow lost limbs?"

"Alkahestry's still a science. To achieve something-"

"-Something of equal value must be lost. I know that."

"Alkahestrists can re-attach lost limbs though."

"What? Really?"

"Yeah. If the break is clean and the patient is seen to before the severed part begins to... decay, it's possible. It's tricky, but it makes perfect sense... if you think about it."

"Fascinating... Alkahestry truly is amazing."

"I'm glad you decided to learn it! Now," May held out her right hand, the tips of two of her fingers were still covered in blue ink. "I need to do something about this... here!"

Giggling, she reached out and stroked the end of Al's nose.

"Hey!" Naturally, the only thing to do in retort was to dip his own fingers in the ink pot and dash across her cheek.

"Oy!" May leapt around the desk to re-stock, flicking a few drops in Al's direction. He put his hand up to defend himself, ended up with a few splashes on his pristine shirt, and wiped the spare across her forehead. Squeals on indignation and more counter-attacks followed, until there was very little ink left in the pot, a fair bit on the floor, and much more of it on their skin and clothing.

"This... probably wasn't the best idea."

"Yeah... fun though!" May took out a bit of chalk and began to draw out some of the ink from the various fabrics in the room. Luckily, most of it had split on the hardwood floor, but there were a few tiny droplets on the rug as well. "Rin will go crazy if she sees these stains."

"Here, let me see if I can help..." Al collected another bit of chalk.

"It won't go back in the bottle now. It's been too long. The 'impression' will have changed. We can bring it up the surface and mop it up the old fashioned way though..."

"I'll get a cloth."

They spent the next few minutes tidying up their mess and disposing of all the evidence.

"Next time... I suggest a water fight." Al said, throwing away the filthy cloth.

"We should do that now... look at us! We're covered in it."

Al glanced over to the mirror in the far corner and saw that they were both streaked in blue. "Oh dear. It's dinnertime soon. I suppose we should clean ourselves up! Come on."

They both crawled over the wash basin and ran some hot water. Al handed the soap to May.

"Here. You first."

"Thank you." she gave herself a few gentle rubs while Al splashed his face in water and wiped away with his bare hands. Neither attempts were particularly successful. "Um... Alphonse? It's not coming off."

Al took her face in one of his hands and put his other up to hers. "Here, let me try..." he took the soap from her and began to graze it over her soft cheeks, trying to concentrate more on the stains than her skin. It was very distracting, just to feel her warmth against the palm of his hand.

May giggled. "You're being too gentle, Alphonse!"

"I don't want to hurt you."

"You couldn't hurt a fly..." May smiled up at him and wondered if that was a blush she could spot on his cheeks, underneath the splashes of ink. "Here, let me help you."

She took a towel and dipped it in the soapy water, dabbing away at his face while he focused on hers. They were very close, very warm. May could feel his breath on her skin, and in sent a strange tingling sensation right to the tip of her toes.

"A-Alphonse?"

"Yes, May?" he stared intently at her eyes.

"I.. I-"

Before May could finish her sentence, a loud gong echoed through the corridors.

"I... think we should clean up and head down to dinner!"

She wriggled away from him, wiping the foam off her face before glancing at her reflection and deciding she didn't look too suspicious. She hurried away in a flurry of dark hair and sweet, soapy scent.

Alphonse, not entirely sure why, found himself sighing. Slowly, he dabbed away the rest of the ink and water, then went to join her and the others downstairs.

**A/N: As usual, please let me know what you think!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Here we go, chapter five! Very cute little moment at the end, I think. :P**

**Chapter Five**

The next day, while Alphonse and May were pouring over dusty volumes in the library, their came a slightly timid knock at the door and Ling stepped inside quickly, unescorted.

"Good Morning, Ling!"

"Ah, Alphonse!" he clapped his hand enthusiastically, "Might... might I have a word with you for a moment?" he kept glancing back at the door. "Before... before somebody finds me..."

Al glanced at May, who just shrugged her shoulders and looked back in confusion. "Of course..."

"Excellent!" he leapt towards them, grabbed his arm, and ran off pulling Alphonse behind him into one of the private library chambers, stopping only once they were safely inside.

"Alphonse... I would like your help with something."

"Sure... what is it?"

"It's um, a political matter."

"Political? Me?"

"Yes, it's, um, delicate."

Al was quite sure, that, inexplicably, Ling was nervous, an emotion that he had never seen on him and really didn't suit.

"Well, what is it?"

"As you know, it is the custom in Xing, and has been for many centuries, for the Emperor to take the daughter of the Chief of each one of the fifty clans as his concubine."

"...Yes."

"Well, it's coming up to my eighteenth birthday soon, and the officials are very keen to, um, starting the official proceedings. Regarding my taking of the royal-"

"I get it."

"But I don't want to do that. I don't want to have fifty consorts, and I certainly don't want to have fifty children, all fighting each other for the throne. I want... I just want to have one legal wife, one family. Watch my children grow up together..."

Al couldn't help smiling at his friend as he muddled through what seemed like such a simple, straight forward request. "Well, do it!"

Ling sighed. "It's not that easy. It's an ancient-old tradition, people won't be happy to see it go. It will need to be approved by the council-"

"Won't they be happy to stop seeing heirs and clans fight each other?"

"The general idea is that the best person for the job is chosen. You see the logic, but that's not always the case. The most ambitious leader is not necessarily the best- the most diplomatic or just."

"Have you talked to Lan Fan about this?"

"What? No! Why?"

"I just thought you'd want her opinion on this. She understands the importance of tradition more than I do."

"No... no, I don't want to tell her about this. She might... might not approve."

"OK..." said Alphonse suspiciously. "So, what is it exactly that you want me to do?"

"You're highly respected, Alphonse. Both in Amestris and Xing. Just to having your backing could mean a lot... but I'll need to do my research, prepare a good argument and counter-argument. I'm... I'm not very good at that sort of thing. You know. With books. And paperwork."

"I'll help."

"Oh, will you! Fantastic! Now, I know you're spending a lot of time learning Alkahestry and I'm a very busy man too, during the day! Shall we meet back here after dinner?"

"Um... sure!"

"Excellent! Thank you, Alphonse! Oh, and one more thing- would you mind keeping this to yourself for the time being? Wouldn't do to have it spread just yet. Well then, until later! Goodbye!"

He marched off before Al could get another word in edgeways, leaving him to return to his seat with a very bemused look of his face.

"What was all that about?" asked May.

"Oh, Ling wants my help with something. It's not that important. Where were we?"

**.o0o.**

Al wasn't quite sure how serious Ling was about changing the law until he arrived in the library after dinner to find the place stacked high with books and scrolls, with Ling already piling through them. He had no idea what would be useful at what wouldn't, so Al found himself going through every single one of the texts and setting aside anything of merit. Ling was very thorough once the pile was whittled down, and the two of them worked well into the night.

A soft bell rang out every so often on the hour, but the two had stopped paying attention until they sat, exhausted, and a single chime rang out into the night. Alphonse nearly leapt out of his seat.

"Is that... is that the time?"

Ling looked up wearily. "Guess it is. I'm sorry, Alphonse. I didn't mean to keep you this long."

"Damn. I was meant to meet May and midnight for some special midnight Alkahestry..."

"You can't do it tomorrow?"

"It's best during a full moon... why didn't she come and find me? I'm sorry Ling, I've got to go."

"It's no problem. Sorry I kept you so long."

Al grabbed his jacket and rushed off. He checked in the gardens, where they'd been due to meet, and wasn't surprised to find she wasn't there any more. He headed for her room, hoping to find her still awake, but she didn't answer the door when he knocked and he decided she'd probably gone to sleep. Annoyed with himself, he finally went back to his room.

Only to find her, curled up and fast asleep, on top of his bed covers with a book beneath her curled hands. She must have nodded off waiting for him.

"Oh, May," Al extended a hand and stroked back a lock of hair. It was so soft under his fingers, smooth as silk.

He wondered if he should wake her up to apologise, or if he should just move her back to her own room- it seemed criminal to wake someone sleeping so peacefully. But then, there was always the danger that someone might spot him carrying her through the corridors and that was not a story he wanted to explain. Perhaps it would be better to leave her where she was and sleep on the chaise.

Deciding that was the best idea, he pulled the book out from under her and placed it on his bedside table. He was just pulling up one of the bed sheets when she murmured something under her breath.

"Alphonse..." for a second, he thought she was still asleep and the idea of her mumbling his name while she was unconscious excited him for some reason, but when he turned to look at her, he saw that her eyes were half-open and she was staring up at him.

"Hey. I'm so sorry I forgot May, I just lost track of the time..."

"It's all right, we can do it next month. Means you get to stay longer."

"I think I'm a fair way off mastering Alkahestry, May."

"You're actually getting pretty good..." she yawned. "Oh dear, I'm sorry I fell asleep. Guess I should be moving... oh! I found at interesting chapter on advanced Healing Alkahestry... I marked the page because it said something... interesting... that sounded like... it bypassed the laws... of equivalency..."

"You're way too sleepy to be moving!"

"No, I'm not..." she reached out and took Alphonse's hand and wove her fingers into his. A bolt of warmth shot right through him, a feeling quite unlike anything he'd ever felt before. "I really like your smile, Alphonse." she whispered, her eyes closing again. "Of all the smiles... in all the world... I like yours best of all."

Al stroked her cheek as she fell asleep, and found strange new feelings rising inside of him, strange words falling out of his mouth. "That's odd," he told her sleeping form. "Because I think that about yours."

Shortly after he said it, he shrugged it off, wondering what on Earth he meant, and went to pick up the book, flipping to the section she'd dog-eared. A few choice words piqued his interest and he sat down on the end of the bed to read it. He only meant to sit there for a minute while he finished the chapter, but he carried on through the rest of the book, engrossed, until slowly, ever so eventually, sleep began to creep up on him as well and he lay down his head next to May's and nodded off.

**.o0o.**

**A/N: What is Ling's motivation for changing the law? Can it be accomplished? Has Alphonse stumbled upon a lead in his quest to overturn the law of Equivalent Exchange? Find out in the next chapter of _His Princess, Her Alchemist! _(Maybe ;P)**

**And please, please review! I get so many story/alerts and favourites from people who haven't reviewed, which makes me sad :(. Reviews are awesome, and, if you're interested in reading the whole thing, motivate me with your thought and responses! Cheers m'dears!**


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